Myanmar journalist describes big changes in media landscape

Myanmar is experiencing enormous change as it opens up to international investment after years of military rule.

The government's decision to lift direct press censorship has opened up new freedoms for publishers.

But it's also presenting fresh challenges for journalists, as well as an increasingly competitive media environment.

Journalist Myo Lwin writes for the Myanmar Times, a weekly publication set up in 2000 by Australian Ross Dunkley.

He recently attended an international journalism conference in India about climate change and sustainability.

A number of participants at the conference were fascinated to hear about the huge changes to the media landscape in Mr Lwin's home country.

He says it was initially 'unbelievable' when press censorship was lifted in Myanmar.

"Last August 2012, the Government released the press censorship and we were allowed to write whatever we like, we can say there's a freedom of press even though the government is still holding the registration (of the publications)," Mr Lwin said.

"At the moment people are news thirsty, and people like to read the newspapers a lot, and the newspapers are mostly the weekly journals but now there are about 10 daily newspapers.

"Some of them are very emotional, either emotional themselves, should I say they are oversensitising the stories because they want to expose the stories of the previous government or the previous ex-military generals have done wrong."

He says the changing nature of media in Myanmar is stimulating public debate.

"Now even the taxi drivers, whenever I hire a taxi driver they are speaking up, opening up a lot.

"For instance, the sons and daughters of the ex-generals, how they are still trying to get control of their properties and material things like that, ... so they are now expressing more freely."

Changing times

Myo Lwin says the Myanmar Times was the only printed media in the country about 12 years ago.

Within three or four years some more weekly newspapers had appeared, but under censorship no daily editions of newspapers were allowed. That's now changing.

"I did not hear of a single newspaper making profit, they're doing it at a loss," Mr Lwin said.

"But they are still keeping the weekly editions make more money that the dailies."

Mr Lwin says while the Myanmar Times remains a weekly newspaper, publisher Ross Dunkely is still hoping to run a daily newspaper.

"I would say he is a professional journalist, because since day one his dream is to run daily (newspapers).

"And even the day before yesterday he was talking to us about doing a daily newspaper and how we should be prepared and doing a lot of exercises.

"So I think he should be given the chance to run daily newspapers, which is not happening at the moment."

He says the new investors in media in Myanmar can be put into three categories.

"First is purely those who like to contribute to the society, I would say they are the professionals even though they have their weaknesses in their professional training and they don't have sufficient knowledge about the media, but they are trying to be as honest as possible, this is one category.

"And then, another category is that they have the different businesses like the property, construction or training businesses and they need to create a powerhouse for themselves because whenever they want to say something.

Even though the number of those who are using the internet is maybe less than those who are reading the newspapers, I think social media has a lot of impact.

Myo Lwin, Myanmar Times journalist

"And the third category is there are some relatives of the ex-generals who are doing the media organisations, I don't know what their motives are.

"As far as I know, the publications run by the relatives of the generals, they are doing their journalism jobs so far."

Myo Lwin says social media, especially Facebook, is very important for sharing stories with readers.

"Even though the number of those who are using the internet is maybe less than those who are reading the newspapers, I think social media has a lot of impact.

"But still the government-state newspapers and the public newspapers have their impact and the market becomes quite competitive."

Amy Bainbridge is one of 25 journalists from around the world awarded an Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF) travel bursary to attend the conference discussing sustainability and the environment. ASEF is an intergovernmental, non-profit organisation.